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Ah... that would be considered tailgaiting. As a professional driver, you don't get any slack cut for ya.

Apply the brakes too hard (with or without the connivance of the collision avoidance gear,) and you get a jacknife accident. Your fault.

Not enough room to stop and you run into the next vehicle, or off the road. Your fault.

The only solution is to leave a lot of room between you and the next vehicle.

 

if i've had the same job for the past 13 years do i have to show employment before then?

 

No... you should be OK with just that one.

 

Hey Guys, I only recently started looking into Prime. I have called the recruiter to get some info. Do they actually make you do the "duck walk"? What is this the military? I am still recovering from my motorcycle accident and have "soft tissue" damage on the left foot and ankle according to the Doc at the VA. My left ankle still gets swollen. I can still work but am not able to hit the gym yet for the lower body do to the swelling.

Thanks

 

Its still a physical job.

You have to be able to get underneath a trailer to inspect it properly (thus the duck walk,) and get up into a trailer to sweep it out, set load locks, etc. Climb up on the catwalk for various tasks... even to getting up to the top of the trailer to do emergency service on the reefer unit. Flatbedders have to get up to the top of their loads to tarp them - plus fling tarps and chains. Tanker yankers have to be able to pull hoses, get up to the top to open hatches, etc.

 

Sounds like a call to a recruiter is in your future. And perhaps a call to the medical department. That left ankle that swells is the one that will be pushing a clutch twice for every shift, so it might be a limiting factor.

 

It is getting better. Just taking a little longer. Hopefully by January it will be recovered. My G/F drives and we were thinking about teaming. I talked to the recruiter yesterday and she was very friendly and professional unlike the one I talked to the day before. I forgot to ask about what was in the physical. I did have to take painkillers for a few days after the accident but that was 6 weeks ago. Her son's roommate drives for Prime and we talked it over. Problem for me would be I am aquiring my license the old fashioned way. The recruiter said that wouldn't be a problem as long as it was within 45 days of me getting my license that we could go to orientation together and she could be my trainer. Not that we have any intention of not being together. Anyone know if this is not true? Thanks again.

 

I am sorry. I just read what I posted and it wasn't very clear. I am trying to do several things at once here and get some additional information. My G/F drives otr and has been driving for over 26 years. I currently have a CDL learners permit and was going to go ahead and take my CDL driving test pretty soon. I have not gone to school. I was told that if I came to Prime within 45 days of passing the test that if she were coming over to Prime she and I could go through orientation together and that she could then act as my trainer without having to be at Prime for 90 days before going to the trainer class. We are going to team drive together. Is this info that I was given correct?

 

O believe me I know full well the protocol for driving in bad weather when it comes to keeping your distance giving extra time to apply soft brake so on and so forth....I just figured that collision avoidance system is just another thing that can go wrong and a bad idea in a snow storm on an icy road.

 

Wrong again. (technically twice, but Im gonna ignore your usual definition of a week being 5 days)

Its 100 student logged hours, minimum, with an instructor before testing out. There is a requirment for hours on the simulator, but I am not sure if that is included in the 100 or if it is additional. Most instructors want to get you in as soon as you hit that 100, but if your skills are lacking they can keep you out longer.

Where IP is confuesed is that Prime CDL Student grads are given a 10k mile credit towards their training mile requirements.

My best estimate is 4-5 weeks. first paycheck at the 6th week? as a student you do have access of up to $200 per week as a loan to live on the road. Take it or leave it... if you take it, it is payed back at $25/week once you start making a paycheck.

However a couple of factors can drag instruction time out.

#1 delay is waiting for an instructor assignment. That depends on the student getting through orientation without any hold ups. Number of Students versus Number of Instructors on Friday. There could still be students from the previous week waiting that hadnt been picked up yet throughout the week after thier orientation.

other delays depend on the operation of the truck. Anything that a regular driver possibly faces on a day to day operation with a truck can slow it down. Breakdown/Repairs, load assignments, load delays, instructor hometime, weather... etc. However its entirely possible that you experiance none of these delays.

Also, the instructor may bring you back for a day or two of practice on the pad before having you test. There have been days where students ready to test have been bumped to the next day. Just last week, when I was at the terminal, there were a number of retests that bumped at least 6 guys scheduled to the next day.

Then once you get you CDL and get back on the road with your trainer... that is when you start turning miles toward a paycheck.